There are a lot of Biblical quotes that have become common cultural expressions. One of the more famous of these is the famous statement- Judge not, lest you be judged.--Now that's not necessarily incorrect or even bad advice. If you are the kind of person that sits in judgement on everyone and everything around you, you should expect the same in return. But there's much more to this phrase.--Pastor Pierre Rosa is continuing his preaching through the Gospel of Matthew, and today we're in chapter 7. This is where we get that famous judgement quote - but today we'll learn the full context and meaning of what Jesus had in mind then and has in mind for us in the present day as well.

It seems logical to say that - gaining the upper hand on poverty should make us much less anxious. After all, if we don't have to scramble for food, shelter or clothing, we should be much less stressed. And if we have time and money for recreation, we should be even more relaxed and at ease.--But at last check, the United States was the richest country in the world, but nearly any standard. And - at last check - the same United States was objectively the county that's experiencing the most anxiety. So, why is that---Pastor Pierre Rosa is continuing his preaching through the Gospel of Matthew, and we're midway into chapter 6 - a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount.--It's here that Jesus gives us the correct prescription for handling anxiety.

Jesus has talked about how to give, how to pray and how to fast faithfully - with our hearts focused on only one audience- God Himself.--Today, Pastor will explore what Jesus teaches us about how we govern our greed.--Greed might seem like a petty sin - something you teach children about but not something a modern adult needs to bridle. But if we're honest, we'll find that greed is so common in our lives it's become hard to notice. Jesus asks us to make some hard choices today as so we shall.

Jesus has talked about how to give and how to pray faithfully - with our hearts focused on only one audience- God Himself.--Today, Pastor will explore what Jesus teaches us about fasting. Going without food for a period of time is a mysterious practice to most. Why we would do such a thing and for how long may differ. But if we choose to fast, we ought to do it as Jesus instructs. His opinion is the one that matters.

Jesus is talking about prayer - the how and why of prayer. This is important because then, as now, prayer had become a kind of theatre of oration. Fancy and flowery words were woven in a way to make the prayer seem more important and more spiritual than anyone listening.--But Jesus points out that the audience for our prayer is God Himself, and He sees our hearts. So our focus should be on the motivation and purpose of our prayer. Today, we'll unpack the example prayer Christ gave to His disciples and learn once again that it's all about God.

Jesus is talking about many of the practical parts of the Christian life - the day-to-day behavior of citizens of the Kingdom of God. He's covered the standards for giving, and now Jesus wants to teach us the proper way to pray.--Prayer is something that can be quite mysterious to the new believer. Sadly, our public prayers can get so flowery and formal that the average person thinks they have no ability or right to come to the Father with their needs. But Jesus tells us good news about how we should approach prayer and makes us all thankful that we have access to God - no matter how eloquent we are or how -official- we sound.

Once again, Jesus points to the heart of the matter - very literally our spiritual heart. He's not concerned about the amount of our giving as much as the reason for it. Are we giving for attention or giving because we love God and want to reflect His provision and generosity- And we'll see why that's important as we continue this message from last week.

Pastor Pierre Rosa is continuing his preaching through the Gospel of Matthew, and we're beginning our dive into chapter 6 - a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount.--We've spent several weeks now learning about how to deal with conflict. There's a lot of it around, so that makes sense.--Now, as if Jesus hasn't meddled enough in our lives, He moves on to talk about giving. This can be a touchy subject. Consciously or unconsciously, we might consider our money off limits - it's how we pay the bills and survive. But subjects of the kingdom have no area that's off limits to God and this too is something He asks us to surrender to His control.

We've spent several weeks now learning how the Pharisees taught people to deal with conflict. We've taken the time, because conflict is such a large part of our experience. We come into personal conflict pretty much every day of our lives.--So, Christians are routinely faced with the choice - to respond like the rest of humanity does when faced with conflict or to live up to a higher standard, the one God requires. Given our sinful nature, it's not as easy as it might seem.

We've spent several weeks now learning how the Pharisees taught people to deal with conflict. We've taken the time, because conflict is such a large part of our experience. We come into personal conflict pretty much every day of our lives.--So, Christians are routinely faced with the choice - to respond like the rest of humanity does when faced with conflict or to live up to a higher standard, the one God requires. Given our sinful nature, it's not as easy as it might seem.